


The Windows to Your Soul

by Perfect_Insanity



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Daryl Dixon fluff - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, daryl dixon - Freeform, the walking dead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 19:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15056666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perfect_Insanity/pseuds/Perfect_Insanity
Summary: The group goes to Hilltop to reunite with Maggie.





	The Windows to Your Soul

**Author's Note:**

> hi lovely! could you please write a daryl x reader fic where the reader and ricks squad go to the hilltop after negan leaves alexandria and the reader and daryl have a fluffy reuniting? thank you so muchhh :-)

No one had ever made you feel the way Daryl did. He didn’t bring home flowers or hold you in his arms when you went to sleep but you never once questioned his feelings about you. He made his feelings known in the most subtle of ways. So subtle that one would have to pay close attention to catch it. But you knew Daryl so well that you could spot it right away. Everything he was too uncomfortable to say was all in his eyes. He adored you and you knew it. You could see it in the way his baby blue eyes would light up when you walked into the room, the way he cracked a smile that reached his eyes when you came to bed every night. He was never one to tell you how he felt but he also rarely ever needed to. He was very readable, his eyes spoke powerfully.

A few nights ago, you’d met Negan for the first time. He’d trapped you like helpless animals, cornered you. You hoped and prayed that Daryl hadn’t encountered him but then you saw him being dragged out of a van along with Rosita, Glenn, and Michonne. His right shoulder, normally tanned from constant sun exposure was stained red. His skin was pale and slick with sweat, dark circles under his eyes. How long had Negan left him bleeding like this? If you weren’t so frightened, you would’ve gotten up to sit with him. His eyes, normally so full of emotion he could never express with words, were now empty. 

You wondered how things would’ve gone if you’d made different choices. What if you’d convinced Daryl not to leave that morning? What if you went after him alone instead of allowing Michonne, Glenn, and Rosita to go? What if the entire group’s fear hadn’t paralyzed them? What if Daryl hadn’t swung at Negan with his last ounce of strength? Perhaps these things could’ve saved Abraham and Glenn’s lives. It could’ve saved Daryl from being taken away. You couldn’t help but think that you would never see him again as a blonde man with a scar on the left side of his face grabbed Daryl under his arms and tossed him back into the van he’d been dragged out of earlier.

You only had to be concerned for Daryl’s life for the next three days as Negan arrived at Alexandria a few days early. The color was back in Daryl’s face but his eyes were emptier than ever and they’d taken his clothes and replaced them with some sweatshirt and sweat pants. And his blue eyes were emptier than ever before. He only lifted his head a few times, not daring to make eye contact with anyone, not even you or Rick. You knew it was important to play by Negan’s rules for the time being, especially considering the fact that he’d taken all of your guns. But you wanted to hurt Negan and his guys as badly as he’d hurt every single one of you.

But was any of it enough for Negan? No, of course not.

It wasn’t enough until his guys kicked the shit out of Aaron. It wasn’t enough until he’d completely mutilated and murdered Spencer. It wasn’t enough until he had poor Olivia shot and killed because Rosita made a rash decision and tried to shoot him. It wasn’t enough until he took Eugene away.

“It can’t be like this anymore,” you said to Rick after Negan was gone. The group was in the process of cleaning up the mess Negan had made of Spencer while Carl and Tara helped move Olivia’s body for a proper burial. Rick was barely listening, staring at the pool of blood with some blood spatter on the pool table Spencer and Negan had set up in the street. You touched his shoulder, gently pulling on him, “Rick.”

“Hm?” Rick turned to you, his eyes welled up with tears, “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I know it can’t.”

“So, what do we do?” you asked, “Where do we go from here?”

“We uh…” Rick sighed, “We go to Hilltop. We’re gonna need everyone working together on this.”

“Sounds like a plan,” you said, “We kill Negan, we get his guys out of our hair, we get Daryl and Eugene back, everything will be alright.”

Rick nodded, “Definitely. We just gotta convince Hilltop to join us.”

“Well, Maggie and Sasha have been staying there for a while,” you said, “And Jesus is our friend too. We’ll have some people there to prove our case. Although, we have common goals. It shouldn’t be that hard to convince them.”

“We should get going soon then,” Rick said, “In the next few hours kinda soon.”

“Say no more,” you replied, “I’ll get a group together. You get the RV ready to go.”

While you got the group together to head out for Hilltop, you made sure Aaron was alright and that Olivia and Spencer got their proper burials. Spencer was a pain in the ass, especially towards the end of his life but it still hurt somewhat to lose him. And even though it felt like it was in poor taste, you had to find another baby-sitter for Judith to replace Olivia. Rick probably should’ve handled that but he was stressed and overwhelmed. You wanted to give him a few less things to worry about.

Once you took care of everything, you and the group were off to Hilltop. Driving there made you a little anxious. The last time you tried taking this RV to Hilltop, Negan had cornered you and killed two of your own. He’d dragged you down into this darkness you weren’t sure you’d ever pull out of. Even with Hilltop’s assistance, it felt like there was no end in sight. And as much as you tried to have your priorities in order, you couldn’t help but think everything would work out if you just had Daryl back, as if he was the most crucial part. Well, he was in your world. 

You missed him. You missed those strong arms, his bravery, and those blue eyes so full of life. The man you saw in sweats and covered in dirt and bruises wasn’t the same man you fell in love with. Negan tried to steal that man from you. But you refused to let that happen. 

Michonne had taken over driving for you about halfway through the trip after it came to her attention that you weren’t sleeping much. With so many balls in the air, you were too anxious to sleep. Somewhere during the trip, you must’ve dozed off because what felt like five minutes later, you found yourself lying on the little sofa being shaken by Tara.

“Hey,” she said softly, patting your arm, “We’re here. Maggie’s fine, we know that much.”

“How do you know?” you inquired.

“She’s on guard duty,” Tara replied, “She’s about to open the gates for us. Come on.”

Tara helped you onto your feet, keeping a firm grip on your elbow as you stepped out of the RV together. The gate was opening as the two of joined the rest of the group. Maggie was standing at the other side of the gate with a teary smile on her face. Rick was the first to wrap her up in a hug.

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” you remarked, “Is the baby alright?”

“The baby is fine,” Maggie said, “We both are.”

“That’s great,” you said, reaching out to touch her flat stomach, “Things are just finally looking up.”

“We’re gonna fight,” Rick added.

Maggie nodded with a grinning as if to say, “About time,” but instead of saying that, she just stepped closer to the group, sharing a hug with Michonne and Tara. You looked around at all the people giving you curious glances, “Think we can get everyone on board? Where’s Jesus? Maybe he can help.”

“Right there,” Maggie said. She pointed towards the bungalows as Jesus came around the corner to see where all the commotion was coming from. A man was following him, a man you barely recognized. But your heart stopped when you saw him. Maggie reached out and nudged you forward, “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

You found yourself sobbing without even realizing it. Daryl was standing there, frozen in shock when he saw you. It couldn’t be real. Daryl couldn’t be standing there alive and well, close enough for you to touch, to hug, to kiss. Even Daryl looked like he would cry right there. This man, who never let you see his emotions, was trying not to cry in front of you.

“What’re you waiting for?” Maggie giggled, pushing you softly, “Go to him.”

“Daryl,” you blubbered as you took off running across the field. Daryl braced himself, pressing his lips together as he opened his arms to you. You leapt into his arms and wrapped your legs around his body. He threw his arms around you, burying his face in your neck. You never thought you’d get to feel his warmth again, feel the scratching of his beard against your skin. His tears dropped onto your shoulder as you heard whimpers coming from him.

“I can’t believe it,” you whispered, “How…how did you…get out of there?”

“Not important,” Daryl said, stroking your hair, “Important thing is, I’m here now, ya hear? Gotta tell ya somethin’, somethin’ I never let myself say before.”

“Of course,” you said, “Anything.”

Daryl held your face, his thumbs stroking your cheeks. He was embarrassed, you could tell. With all eyes on him, he was nervous and uncomfortable. But it didn’t stop him from pressing his lips to yours in a kiss that was more intense and passionate than any kiss he’d ever given you before. He kissed you over and over before finally pulling away and resting his forehead against yours, his eyes closed as he spoke in a whisper, “I love you, Y/N.”

“Daryl,” you said, “I love you too.”

“Being there…gave me time to think,” Daryl said, “Thought about you, about us. Knew that even though we were together, you and me, that I always kept ya at a distance. And I never wanted that. I thought I’d die there without you knowin’ how I’ve always felt about ya.”

You pushed his sweat soaked hair away from his face to look into his eyes once more. The life he had was back with added fire. He meant what he said. You always knew he loved you without having to hear him say it. But to hear those words made you feel like you were floating. Daryl was here, he was alive, and he was back. That man who’d stolen your heart was back. And he wasn’t going anywhere. Ever again.


End file.
